[open!]

[i_got_this]

Who: South i_got_this and YOU!
What: Drinkin' and Emoin'
When: Any evening in the past few days
Where: Death Match
Rating: PG-13, S for South

Carolina's disappearance had hit South in a way she hadn't expected. It wasn't the cutting hurt that losing Haymitch had been, or the continuous loss she'd had to deal with between the time she'd shown up in the first place and North's recent appearance. It was, however, still something she markedly felt and was aware of with it's own amounts of pain.

Carolina had been the one to keep her going, she had to admit. She'd been the one to force South to face her own demons, to deal with the news of the future and learn to exist day by day on her own, when she hadn't felt it possible.

She wondered how she would have felt about Carolina's leaving if North hadn't already been here.

South takes her musings to the bar, when they weigh her down. She's not getting blackout-drunk, as she has in the past with such things, and she's as open to company as she ever is, if a bit more reserved.

She honestly didn't think she'd ever miss Carolina the way she does now.

Comments

[dontpatr0nizeme]

Wash knew he shouldn't approach South. He knew he should have just left things alone... But he couldn't do that. Especially when he noticed her at the bar. He may not have been getting seriously drunk, but he'd needed to slip away from his room. To get away from the reminders of those chats with Carolina.

"Trying to forget for a while?"

[i_got_this]

South looks up at him and immediately tenses, but after a moment she forces herself to look back at her drink and try not to freak out.

"Yeah." She pokes at her drink a little, torn between ignoring him and, well ... not ignoring him. She looks back and, with no small amount of hesitance, motions to the seat next to her. "Are you?"

[dontpatr0nizeme]

Wash saw that tensing. "South, I'm not here for a fight. Just to get away from my room."

He takes the seat she motioned to. "I can't forget her completely. And getting drunk enough to forget for a little while is doing her memory a disservice. She wanted me to cut back on the drinking. I owe it to her to at least remember moderation."

[i_got_this]

"Yeah, well getting drunk is what I do best." She turns her attention back to her beer, but more to twist it about on the counter then actually drink it.

"She ever talk to you? Like, insist on sitting down and forcing out details?"

[dontpatr0nizeme]

Washington sighs, nodding. "More than once. Why I needed to get away from my room. I keep remembering the times we spoke. Between that and knowing what's supposed to happen to her?"

There's hesitation before he continues softly. "I see why York needed to leave."

[i_got_this]

"What's ... supposed to happen to her?"

South hadn't really kept track of details outside of North. She wasn't even sure what her fate was, and wasn't sure she wanted to know.

[dontpatr0nizeme]

Wash sighs. "Same as happens to almost everyone else. She dies. She was the first victim of the Meta."

[sandoval]

Fortunately for her (or unfortunately, depending on how South wants to look at it), Sandoval just happens to be craving a few bottles glasses of wine this evening, and so he strides right on in to the bar as South just so happens to be moping. It's her that he spots first, and with his usual charming and slightly devious smile that the ambassador is so known for wearing, he makes his way towards her and slips in beside her at the bar.

"Why, if it isn't my favorite Agent!" He can tell something is wrong right off the bat, but he's not keen on asking her anything until he's had a drink. So with that, he pulls out a few caisos - best not to ask where he got them - and just sort of lets them drop onto the bar with little to no decorum whatsoever, before simply reaching over the bar for the nearest opened bottle of wine and a glass. That should cover it, right? If not, well, he can pretend.

[i_got_this]

"Oh, hey Sandy." She watches him with far less then her normal enthusiasm. This certainly wasn't the most desolate she's been since she arrived, but she's not doing much to hide her angst, either.

She throws the rest of her beer back and shoves the empty glass aside. "Hey. Mind sharing? I could use a little variety."

[sandoval]

"Of course not, darling." Sandoval smiles, sliding the first glass to her, followed by grabbing another glass. He then pours - both of them a little overfull, he's feeling generous - and quietly places the bottle down.

"How much have you had to drink, anyway?"

[i_got_this]

"Not enough, yet." She takes the glass, tipping it up in a toast before taking a drink.

"So what brings you here to my little corner of loathing?"

[sandoval]

He also raised his glass, taking just a sip, and watching her for a moment as she drank. As soon as she set her glass down, however, he was quick to pick up the bottle and add about another glass' worth. "Shame on you, not having enough to drink!" He teased, before setting the bottle down and taking a longer drink of his own.

"Why, I've no idea, really. Call it fate, perhaps, call it lucky circumstance. Or you can call it Andrea for all I care!"

[i_got_this]

"Hey, I'm trying." Instant refill. That's exactly what she needed right now.

"Yeah? Well Andrea's not too bad, then. I could use all the lucky circumstance I can get lately.

[ol_northy]

North happens to have this sixth twin sense that tells him when his sister is in trouble. Sometimes "trouble" means "excessive indulgence in vices", which is generally fine, but occasionally self-destructive. And with Carolina leaving, and him knowing Carolina had had a positive influence on South, he imagines she's not going to be dealing with it all that well.

He's pleasantly surprised that she's not already plastered by the time he gets to her. Instead of admonishing her or asking what she's doing, he quietly walks up behind her and plucks the drink from her hand.

"What're you drinking now?"

[i_got_this]

She sighs in exasperation as he takes her drink, and turns to link an elbow over the back of the seat to watch him.

"Beer. Light ale. Local brewery. Don't worry, it's not my sixth."

She turns back in her seat and leans her arms on the table, lightly sulking. It was hitting her harder then she'd expected, and she wasn't sure how she felt about North butting in on her angsty beer-times. She did appreciate the reminder of his presence,but would have also appreciated being able to drink in peace, especially since she wasn't being that bad about it.

[ol_northy]

North takes a sip of the drink, then nods approvingly.

"Why don't you get a second one for me?"

He hands the glass back, noting that it's a little bit shy of cold. She's probably been here a little while, if she's drinking slowly. It probably seems like an intrusion, he knows, but he'd rather check up on his little sister when something major goes down. At least she's not breaking things...?

[i_got_this]

"Yeah, fine." She's going her best angry-sister routine, waving over the bartender and jerking a thumb at North with the words 'one for him, too.'

But she can't keep it up, and after a moment of sulking she gives a sigh of defeat. "I had a friend named Haymitch, here. He was the first person I lost to the castle. I still think about him sometimes, you know? He wasn't from our world, but he and I had a lot in common."

[ol_northy]

And he doesn't respond in the slightest to the whole petulant routine. He's immune, at this point. It's a little surprising that she actually backs off when there's someone else around, so he settles in next to her with a look of mild but genuine concern.

"He didn't punch walls, did he?" It's a quiet joke. "I can't pretend to know how you feel about all of this. I haven't been here long enough. I still want to help, though." Because when his sister needs a friend, he can wear that hat in a split second.

[i_got_this]

"No," She can't help scoffing a little, "But ... he had a brother." Unspoken was that he'd lost his brother as well, that they'd both had guilts that ate them up daily, and they numbed their feelings with alcohol and shared misery.

North can at least be glad that she's not as bad a drinker as Haymitch. "It was really tough. Carolina ... she ... she really helped."

[originalcopy]

Church stood there for a few moments, torn between not wanting to intrude and wanting to see how South was doing. Not that he really cared (like he didn't care with York either), he just didn't want to have to listen to her stumbling down the hall drunk all the time. Noisy neighbors suck.
Plus, he had to take this new body of his out for a test drive at some point. Might as well be now.

"Hey, mind some company?"

He wondered if she'd recognize him just by his voice.

[i_got_this]

She does recognize the voice, and looks over, brows raising slightly in surprised to see him out of armor.

"Holy shit, so there is a face under there."

[originalcopy]

He gives her a wry smile.

"It's about damn time right?"

He takes a seat and nods at her drink, his body language still a bit exaggerated from years of having to talk through a suit.

"So are you buying, or is this a fend for yourself deal?"

[i_got_this]

"Fend for yourself. You got a thing against wishing for money? It'll give you enough for a few drinks, at least."

She shrugs and takes a drink, not seeming too disturbed by the fact that he's decided to join her.

[originalcopy]

"Fine, heaven forbid I spend any of yours."

He gets his own damn beer thank you very much. He's quiet for a few moments.

"So, how you holding up?"

[i_got_this]

"Yeah, heaven forbid." She doesn't further interrupt the silence as he gets his ber, working slowly on her own. At his question, she scowls slightly, and throws him a cold glance.

"Fine. And you? You don't seem too torn up."